By-Laws

Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer Control (MTCC)

Article 1 – Name and Headquarters

      • 1.1 The Association is constituted under the name of ” Mediterranean Task Force for Cancer Control (MTCC).
      • 1.2 The headquarters and the legal domicile of the Association shall be in Rome, Italy, at the address from time to time established by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may also establish secondary offices, or temporary offices for specific purposes in any Mediterranean country.

Article 2 – Aims, Mission, and Objectives

The primary aim of the MTCC is to relieve suffering and decrease mortality of Cancer in the Mediterranean Area by decreasing the incidence of cancer and particularly of advanced disease.
This will be achieved through collaborative efforts by influencing policy, promoting networking, and providing services and programs in a multidisciplinary approach directed toward comprehensive cancer prevention and control.

The activities will focus on:

      • 2.1 Promoting the collection and use of information to increase professional and public understanding and education about cancer and its impact on Mediterranean citizens.
      • 2.2 Promoting healthy behaviors of Mediterranean citizens in order to prevent cancer.
      • 2.3 Increasing the proportion of Mediterranean citizens who have access to state-of-the-art cancer diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, rehabilitation, and palliative care services.
      • 2.4 Influencing policies that enable cancer prevention, early detection, and state-of-the-art treatments in the Mediterranean area. The inclusion of selected institutions of the participating countries in clinical trials of tertiary prevention is also envisaged.
      • 2.5 Promoting programs and activities to eliminate disparities in cancer incidence and mortality in relation to gender, race, ethnicity, insurance status, socioeconomic status, age, and place of residence.
      • 2.6 Organizing periodic meetings and other promotional and educational initiatives of the Task Force at the international level and in participating countries.
      • 2.7 Organizing common research projects when multinational cooperation is advisable.

Activities carried out by the Task Force in order to achieve the stated aims are preferentially organized into Projects.

The Task Force periodically identifies and updates its fields of activity in relation to stated aims, changing opportunities, and needs.

Each year the Task Force calls for proposals in order to identify new fields of activities and projects.

The Executive Committee reviews and approves the proposals and submits an updated list to the Assembly at the annual meeting.

Article 3 – Members and National Chapters

The Members of the Association are divided into the following categories.

  • (a)    Founding Members: are those who were present in the MTCC meetings held in Istanbul and Rome, and those who are going to apply by March 3, 2007.

  • (b)    Active Members: are those who accept to be nominated as such upon invitation by the Executive Committee which will act pursuant to a designation by a Founding Member or an Active Member, endorsed by the Nominating Committee.

  • (c)    Associate Members: are representatives of supporting bodies such as institutions, governmental entities, or scientific societies.

  • (d)    Honorary Members: are outstanding personalities who may enhance and support the visibility and impact of the Association.

Associate Members and Honorary Members are nominated by the Executive Committee; they will have no voting rights in the General Assembly.

  • (e)    National Chapters: Members who are nationals of the same country may establish a National Chapter appointing a co-ordinator for a term of three years, renewable. The organizational rules of the Chapter must be approved by the Executive Committee of MTCC. The Chapter shall carry out only activities falling within the objects of the Association, provided that in each case the central organ of the Association has given its authorization and the activity in question is, at all times, carried out under the supervision of such an organ.

Article 4 – General Assembly

    • 4.1 A General Assembly shall be called by the President at least once a year. All members can participate in the General Assembly but only Founding Members and Active Members have voting rights to be exercised as follows.

    • 4.2 Members with voting rights who are nationals of the same country must appoint among themselves a common representative who is entitled to cast one vote only in the General Assembly. In the event that the said Members are unable to appoint such a common representative, they shall be deemed to have abstained from the vote. (see 4.3 and 4.5)

    • 4.3 The General Assembly is validly constituted when the majority of the countries whose nationals are Members with voting rights are present (also by proxies designated in writing) through the respective members; resolutions are validly adopted with a majority vote.

    • 4.4 Any resolution of the General Assembly concerning the amendment of these by-laws or the dissolution of the Association, should require the majority of at least two-thirds of the votes which can be cast in accordance with these by-laws.

    • 4.5 The General Assembly shall be presided over by the President, or in his/her absence by the most Senior Vice President, who shall have the power to check the right to attend the Assembly, the validity of the proxies, and the authority of the Member authorized to cast the vote on behalf of all of his fellow country Members.

    • 4.6  The General Assembly shall:

      • a) Elect, among the Members, the President, three Vice Presidents, the Treasurer, and the Secretary-General for a three-year term of office.
      • b) Elect, one year before the expiry of the term of office of the President, the President-Elect who will automatically become the President (for a three-year term of office) upon the expiry of the office of the President then in charge.
      • c)Appoint for a three-year term the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Ethical Committee and may also appoint one or more Project Committees establishing the relative term and chairperson.

    • 4.7  The General Assembly shall, every year, vote on the approval of the annual accounts for the past year and the provisional budget for the subsequent year and may vote on the approval, both with respect to their operational and financial aspects, of any projects submitted to it by the Executive Committee.

    • 4.8  Minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly shall be drawn up and signed by the President (or the Vice President acting as President of the meeting) and by the Secretary of the Meeting designated by the General Assembly.

Article 5 – President

The President shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of three years and may not be re-elected. He/she shall represent the Association vis-à-vis third parties.

The President shall call the General Assembly and preside over its meetings; he/her shall also preside over the Executive Committee and call the relative meetings.

Article 6 – Executive Committee

    • 6.1 The Executive Committee is composed of the President, the Past President, the President-Elect, the three Vice Presidents, the Treasurer, and the Secretary-General.

    • 6.2  The Executive Committee shall be responsible for implementing the objects and aims of the Association and, in general, for the correct conduct of the Association’s activities; it will meet whenever it is convened by the President. Each member may express his/her vote also by mail or teleconference.

    • 6.3 Meetings of the Executive Committee are validly held with the participation (also by teleconference or by written communication) of the majority of its members and resolutions are taken with a majority vote. In case of a tie the vote of the President shall prevail.

    • 6.4 The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the preparation of the draft of the annual accounts and budget, for proposals of amendments to these by-laws, and in general for submitting to the General Assembly any matter falling within the competence of the said Assembly. The Executive Committee shall be supported by the office of the Secretary-General.

    • 6.5 The Executive Committee may propose to the General Assembly the amount of any annual contribution to be paid by each Member country.

Article 7 – Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the management of the day-to-day financial affairs of the Association.

Shall collect any annual contributions by the members and any other contributions made by other supporters. Shall operate under the supervision of the Executive Committee and with the support, whenever is advisable, of the Secretary-General.

Article 8 – Secretary General

The Secretary-General shall be responsible for the carrying out of all the organizational and administrative activities of the Association and for the organization of the staff of the Secretariat Office; shall report to the Executive Committee.

Article 9 – Standing Committees

    • 9.1  Nominating Committee: shall be composed of six members to be selected among Founding Members or Active Members; it will be elected by the General Assembly for a three-year term of office. The Nominating Committee will make recommendations to the Executive Committee for proposing to the General Assembly the election of Active Members.
    • 9.2 Project Committees: in connection with the implementation of a Task Force Project, the Executive Committee may propose to the General Assembly that a Project Committee be appointed for supervising the Project in question liaising with the Executive Committee. The latter will propose the number of the components of the Project Committee, who may or may not be members of the Association, the President of the Committee, the term of office, and any other necessary requirements.
    • 9.3  Ethical Committee: whenever in connection with the carrying out of a Project, decisions may have to be taken concerning research aspects or clinical trials of tertiary prevention; the Executive Committee may propose to the General Assembly that an Ethical Committee be elected composed of non-members of the Association, suggesting the number of components and the term of office which should be related to the completion of the Project.

The Ethical Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee and to the Project Committee in charge of the specific research, who shall report to the General Assembly.

As provided by art. 9.2, additional  Committees  were implemented, namely the Scientific  and the Advisory  Committees ( see Committees Section)